Gardener of Eden

Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Spring Water

Rowan came downstairs into the kitchen, where the aroma of garlic and sizzling oil filled the air as Martha finished prepping dinner.

”Setting the table already, Rowan?” Martha asked, glancing over her shoulder with a warm smile.

”Just getting a few things sorted first, Mom,” he replied smoothly.

He opened the glass cabinet and retrieved a clean, airtight glass bottle. Heading back upstairs to his locked bedroom for a brief moment, Rowan focused his mind and stepped back into his personal domain.

He walked directly toward the colossal primordial tree towering at the domain’s center. Deep within its hollow subterranean roots lay a crystal-clear spring basin fed by pure, condensed life energy. Rowan knelt at the edge of the pool and submerged the glass bottle, filling it to the brim with the shimmering water before sealing it tightly.

Before leaving, he gathered a heavy woven basket and loaded it with a selection of his freshly harvested crops: plump E-Grade Tomatoes, crisp stalks of Pure-Grade Wheat, and several radiant Ignis-Bloom Peppers.

Returning to the real world, Rowan carried the bottle and the overflowing basket back downstairs.

”Where did you get all this fresh produce?” Martha asked, her eyes widening in astonishment as Rowan set the vibrant basket onto the counter. ”Rowan... these look far better than anything from the district market!”

”They’re sample yields from our academy’s research domes,” Rowan said with an easy smile, placing the produce neatly into the fridge’s cold storage drawer. ”They’re rich in pure nutrients, so eating them regularly should help boost your energy and health.”

He then poured a generous portion of the domain spring water into two glasses, handing one to his mother while keeping his own composure tight. ”Try this too. It’s just special mineral spring water from the academy’s research estate. It’s supposed to do wonders for clearing up fatigue.”

Martha took a curious sip. Almost instantly, her eyes brightened as a subtle, ambient hum echoed faintly around her. A warm, transformative current coursed through her body, dispelling her fatigue and elevating her physical baseline—mirroring the exact sensation Rowan had felt when he first drank from the spring basin.

”Goodness,” she breathed, staring down at the empty glass in absolute astonishment as she checked her system notification. ”Rowan... I just got a system notification saying all my attributes increased by 1! What kind of spring water is this?”

”Just clean mineral spring water,” Rowan chuckled smoothly, keeping his greatest secret safely buried. ”Drink up, Mom. There’s plenty more where that came from.”

Rowan gave a calm nod, picking up the empty glass. ”It’s high-grade mineral runoff from the academy’s deep spring lines. Hold on, I’ll grab another bottle.”

He walked back upstairs, locked his bedroom door, and crossed into the domain once more. Reaching the crystal basin beneath the giant tree, he filled another bottle to the brim with the shimmering spring water, tightly capping it before returning to the real world.

Coming back down the stairs, Rowan handed the sealed bottle to his mother.

”Keep this in the fridge for Dad when he comes home from work tonight,” Rowan said smoothly. ”Let him have a full glass before dinner. It should help take off the edge from his shift.”

His mother took the cool glass bottle with both hands, looking at it with a mixture of awe and care. ”An all-attribute boost from water alone... your father won’t believe it until he sees the notification himself. I’ll make sure he drinks it the moment he steps through the door.”

She carefully set the bottle in the fridge next to the fresh produce Rowan had brought down earlier, her smile full of relief as she closed the door.

Rowan checked the clock on the wall and realized the time had slipped by. ”Mom, I actually have to head back to the academy for dinner service soon,” he said, picking up his jacket. ”Please take care of yourself, okay? Don’t push yourself too hard in the garden.”

”I will, Rowan. Don’t worry about me,” she replied warmly, giving his shoulder an affectionate squeeze. ”You focus on your studies.”

”One more thing,” Rowan added, pausing at the side door. ”Keep an eye out for a potential vendor location for the coming weekend’s farmers market. We can use a booth to sell some of the extra fresh produce.”

Martha’s eyes lit up with excitement at the thought. ”A stall at the weekend market? With quality produce like this, we’ll definitely draw a crowd. I’ll ask around the neighborhood and check the local registry tomorrow morning to see what spots are open.”

”Sounds like a plan,” Rowan smiled. ”Tell Dad I said hi, and make sure he drinks that bottle!”

With a quick wave, he stepped out the door and made his way back toward the bus stop, ready to return to Sol-Aethel Academy for the evening.

The evening air grew crisp as the public bus pulled up to the grand wrought-iron gates of Sol-Aethel Academy. Starlight filtered through the high, arched canopy of the surrounding ancient woods, casting long shadows across the cobblestone walkways.

Rowan made his way straight to the Great Dining Hall, where the overwhelming aroma of roasted meats, seasoned broths, and fresh hearth-baked bread filled the warm, bustling hall. Students from all tracks—Combat, Culinary, Alchemy, and Agronomy—were gathered across long oak tables under floating, softly glowing lanterns.

Rowan grabbed a tray, filling his plate with a generous portion of braised boar and steamed grain, and found a quiet spot near the end of the agronomy table. As he ate, he listened quietly to the chatter around him—upperclassmen boasting about dungeon excursions, alchemists complaining about volatile reagent costs, and fellow freshmen debating the upcoming practical evaluations.

After finishing his dinner and clearing his tray, Rowan slipped out into the cool night air. Instead of heading straight back to the residential dorms, he turned toward the western perimeter, taking the cobblestone path toward the research domes.

The massive glass hemisphere of Dome Gamma glowed like a giant, soft-lit lantern amidst the dark gardens. Swiping his student pass at the heavy brass lock, Rowan stepped inside. The humid, nutrient-rich air instantly enveloped him, accompanied by the gentle hum of the automated irrigation and mana-conduit systems.

He walked down the quiet, deserted aisle to Plot 36.

Under the soft blue night-lights of the dome, the transparent protective shield over his plot glinted quietly. Kneeling at the border, Rowan pressed his hand lightly against the glass and channeled a tiny whisper of his Breath of Eden through the soil.

The response was immediate. Beneath the dark topsoil, the seeds he had planted earlier during Professor Vane’s session were already swelling, their roots anchoring firmly into the C-Grade matrix with surprising vigor. While they hadn’t exploded into full maturity like the crops inside his dilated personal domain, their growth rate was easily double that of any neighboring plot in the dome.

A satisfied smile crossed Rowan’s face. Everything was right on schedule.

Securing the dome’s latch, he stood up, dusted off his hands, and headed toward the dormitories to get a good night’s rest before meeting Barney at the workshop tomorrow.